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R
E S E A R C H
Aromatherapy's
Effect on Moods and Minds
Researchers have shown
that lavender and rosemary administered through aromatherapy positively
affect psychological and physiological functioning. In a study
conducted by the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami
Medical School, first published in the International Journal
of Neuroscience, researchers assessed the effect of lavender
and rosemary on alertness, mood and the brain's electrical activity,
and on subjects' ability to perform math computations.
In the study, 40 adult faculty and staff
members of the University of Miami Medical School were randomly
placed into one of two groups, and were asked to inhale the scent
of either lavender or rosemary essential oil for three minutes. Those
in the lavender group were expected to show an increase in alpha
and beta band activity, suggesting relaxation. Those in the
rosemary group were expected to have a decrease in alpha and beta
band activity, suggesting greater alertness.
Results showed that study expectations
were correct: Participants in the lavender group experienced an
increase in beta band activity, suggesting drowsiness; an improvement
in mood; a feeling of greater relaxation; and better performance
on math computations.The rosemary group showed a decrease in alpha
and beta power, suggesting alertness and lower levels of anxiety;
and were faster but not more accurate at performing math computations.
Subjects first took three assessment tests:
an anxiety-inventory questionnaire, a profile-of-mood-states questionnaire
and a series of timed math computations. While seated in a massage
chair, each subject was then given a vial containing a dental swab
soaked in a grapeseed-oil base with three drops of either lavender
or rosemary essential oil. The subjects were instructed to sit
quietly and breathe normally through the nose with their eyes closed. After
three minutes of aromatherapy, the subjects again took the two self-report
tests and did the math computations. For three minutes before,
during and after the aromatherapy, EEG readings were taken through
a cap worn on participants' heads to measure the electrical activity
of their brains.
Results of the self-assessment test data
indicated that both the lavender and rosemary groups experienced
lower levels of anxiety and felt more relaxed after the aromatherapy. Only
the lavender group reported a significantly better mood. The rosemary
group reported feeling more alert.
Math test results showed that the lavender
group experienced an increase in drowsiness, while the rosemary
group showed EEG patterns that reflected a greater state of alertness.
- Source: Touch Research
Institute, Originally reported in the International Journal of Neuroscience,
1998, Vol. 96, pp. 217-224.
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